Undergraduate Handbook 2009-10

Bachelor of Arts in Music

This degree is designed to help develop basic musicianship, the ability to perform, and a set of principles that lead to a fuller intellectual grasp of the art. Students may apply for entrance to the Bachelor of Arts program during the fourth semester.

I. Criteria for acceptance into the program
Completion of a two-year core of music and general education courses, and a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade-point average.

Music Courses

Basic Musicianship: Music 121, 122, 221, 222

Music Theory: Music 131, 132, 231, 331

Introduction to Music Literature: Music 162

Survey of Music History: Music 261, 262

Applied Music (Primary Track): 8 credits (Note: Students may elect to take up to 8 additional credits of applied study in the jr. and sr. years, with permission of instructor.)

Ensembles: 2 credits

General Education Courses

English 15 or 30

II. Procedure for acceptance into the program
Application for entrance into the B.A. program will be made to the Undergraduate Committee, through a B.A. adviser, following completion of three semesters of study in a music degree program.

Week 2 - Students interested in the B.A. program should schedule an appointment with a B.A. adviser. Together they will review the student's progress in the two-year core of music and general education courses in preparation for the Mid-Program Evaluation for MUSBA Majors.

Week 4 - The student will submit the Mid-Program Evaluation, including (1) the evaluation forms, (2) an unofficial transcript, (3) a student schedule for the current semester, and (4) a change-of-major form. Notification of the results of the evaluation will take place by the twelfth week of the semester.

GUIDELINES FOR MUSIC 476W: B.A. SENIOR PROJECT

Music 476W is required of all students enrolled in the B.A. degree program. The project, which may take the form of a research paper, a lecture-recital, or a performance with program notes or related paper, represents the culmination of the student's work in his/her chosen option within the B.A. degree. The student normally will schedule Music 476W his/her last semester. It is the responsibility of the student to carry out the procedure listed below.

Junior Year: Second Semester - The student will select a project adviser, and in consultation with the adviser, will develop the basic framework of the project.

Senior Year: First Semester, Week 6 - After choosing a second reader, the student must submit to the Undergraduate Committee a B.A. Senior Project Approval and Acceptance Form with Part I completed. The form will be kept in the student's file. Copies will be sent to the project adviser and the chair of the Undergraduate Committee.

Senior Year: Second Semester - The student will register for Music 476W. While the student is working on the project, he/she must consult periodically with the adviser in order to ensure that the project is progressing satisfactorily.

Senior Year: Second Semester, Week 13 - The project must be submitted to the project adviser and second reader no later than two weeks before the last day of classes.

Final Grade - The project is completed when the project adviser and second reader have signed Part II of the B.A. Senior Project Approval and Acceptance Form. The grade will be determined by the adviser after consultation with the second reader.

+ 400-level courses. Four credits may be from applied lessons at the 400-level, provided that 300-level applied study has been satisfied.

* Proficiency must be demonstrated in a single language at the 12th-credit level, either by exam or by completing appropriate courses.

Courses with the designation US, IL, and Other Cultures may be double-counted with other courses.
However, Other Cultures may not be double-counted with a course having the designation IL or US.

Piano proficiency: All students must enroll in appropriate piano courses (class piano or private instruction) beginning with the first semester and continuing until the piano proficiency is passed.

Ensemble Requirements: Bachelor of Arts (4 cr. minimum)

Students in the Bachelor of Arts in Music program pursue a broad liberal education with an overall view of the art. Students are responsible for choosing ensembles which reflect the breadth and diversity of musical experiences necessary to attain the goals of the degree. Advisers and applied instructors should be consulted regarding ensemble choices.

All of the 4 required credits must be earned by participation with the major instrument/voice. Keyboard majors should consult with the applied instructor and adviser to determine how to meet this requirement. Only 1 credit per semester may be applied toward the degree requirement.

Of the 4 credits required, a minimum of 2 with a maximum of 4 must be applied toward the B.A. degree requirements from among these ensembles:

In addition to these required credits, other ensembles may be elected throughout the program upon the advice and consent of the applied instructor and the adviser.

A student in academic difficulty must obtain the adviser's consent to register in more than two ensembles per semester. Academic difficulty is defined as a GPA below 2.5 and/or any music course not passed (grade of D or F).

APPLIED MUSIC REQUIREMENTS

BA in Music students must complete four semesters of applied study on an instrument at the PRIMARY (2-credit) level. The student's performance area is determined through the student's audition. The audition also typically determines the level at which the student will study in his or her respective program. Successful completion of each level is prerequisite for enrollment in the next higher level. Juries are held every semester to ensure that students qualify for study at the next level.

Please note that students who have received a scholarship must earn grades of "B" or higher in their applied study each semester.

Applied Music Lesson Policy
Students are to contact applied professors before or at the beginning of each semester to schedule regular lesson times. Lessons cancelled by faculty will be rescheduled. Lessons missed by students may be made up (see applied syllabus for specifics).

Please be aware that unexcused absences may be a contributing factor in determining the final grade.

Re-audition Procedures
Students must study in the appropriate course in the applied sequence with continuous (every semester) enrollment until the required applied credits are completed. Students who do not enroll for required applied instruction for any reason other than an official leave of absence must re-audition. Students who earn grades of D or F in two of the first three semesters of enrollment in applied study must re-audition for admission to the applied studio. Beginning with the fourth semester of study, students earning a grade of D or F in any semester must re-audition for admission to the applied studio. At any stage in the degree program, students who fail to advance to the next course in two consecutive juries cannot continue their applied studies in the major studio without re-audition. Re-auditions will be adjudicated by the established faculty jury including the major applied instructor and other members of the applied area faculty.

An acceptance to the BA program following a successful audition is valid for one academic year. If a student delays entrance into the School of Music for more than this period, he/she must re-audition. Contact the auditions secretary, Irene Kohute, in 234 Music Building I concerning the re-audition.

Jury Examinations
Because performance ability is an essential part of all School of Music degree programs, all students are required to demonstrate performance ability in their major applied area before a faculty jury at the end of each semester of applied instruction. The purposes of these examinations are (1) to assess the student's progress in his or her major performance area, and (2) to serve as the prerequisite for advancing to the next level of applied instruction.

Juries typically comprise three faculty members (at least two from the applied division). The jurors will submit to the music office their written evaluations and a composite grade (which is advisory to the student's instructor). These items will be included with the student's records. Copies of the evaluations and the grade will be available to the student from the music office. Repertory sheets previously filled out by the student will also be included in the student's file.

PIANO PROFICIENCY EXAMINATIONS

All B.A. in Music students must pass a piano proficiency examination at some point in their undergraduate careers. (Students for whom piano is the primary instrument are assumed to have met this requirement.) The student must meet the following proficiencies:

Be prepared to play all major and harmonic minor scales, three octaves, hands together with a consistent tempo.

Given 48 hours, prepare an accompaniment for an assigned melody using I, IV, V7, V7/V, and V7/IV chords in original key and transposed to the following keys: C, D, E, F, G, A, B-flat, and E-flat. Accompaniment style in the original key must be representative of implied melodic style. Accompaniment style for transposed keys may use blocked chords in basic hand positions, but must use good voice leading.

Musically prepare two contrasting pieces of the same difficulty as the Bach Little Preludes and/or Book III of Bartok's Mikrokosmos.

Be prepared to play all major and minor white-key arpeggios, three octaves, hands together with a consistent tempo.

Sight-read hymns and two-part contrapuntal musical examples comparable in difficulty to the second half of volume II of the Diller-Quaile piano method or Volume II of Mikrokosmos.

Piano proficiency exams will be offered at the end of each academic semester. It is the student's responsibility to register for the examination. Students are to enroll in piano courses until such proficiency is met.

COMMON HOUR, RECITAL, AND CONCERT ATTENDANCE

Developing familiarity with a broad repertory of music and acquiring skills of critical listening are important aspects in the training of a musician. Therefore, students are expected to take advantage of every opportunity to attend performances of music, both on and off campus. More than 100 performances are scheduled each year on the University Park campus. These include Center for the Performing Arts programs, faculty and student recitals, concerts by School of Music ensembles, and special School of Music-sponsored programs. In addition, there is a Common Hour each Friday (2:30-3:20 p.m.) in the Esber Recital Hall. These programs include student and faculty performances, as well as demonstrations and lectures by faculty and guests of the School of Music. Students are expected to attend Common Hour each week and a reasonable number of the many events sponsored by the School of Music each year. (See Attendance Requirement below.)

Attendance Requirement (Music 101: Common Hour)

Music 101: Common Hour is required of all students pursuing undergraduate degrees in music. This course is designed as a vehicle for monitoring student attendance at concerts, recitals, master classes, lectures, and Common Hours in the School of Music. Attendance at 150 events will constitute satisfactory completion of the course. At least 40 of these events must be Common Hours. Attendance at Common Hours will be monitored by Sigma Alpha Iota. Records of attendance are maintained by the School of Music office.

It is the student's responsibility to provide signed programs as verification of attendance at concerts, recitals, master classes, lectures, and Common Hours. Verification of attendance at all Common Hours and all School of Music-sponsored Esber Recital Hall events will be collected immediately at the conclusion of those events at the ticket counter outside the recital hall. All other program attendance verifications are to be deposited in the designated folder located in the mail room (235) on the second floor of Music Building I.

Students register for this course the semester in which their total attendance will reach 150 events.